I'm on OrthoEvra Patch, and have been on it, and am having symptoms like I had when I was pregnant with my first child. Is this something that's likely to happen?

Ortho Evra is a hormonal birth control method where synthetic hormones are delivered directly through the skin and into the bloodstream via a skin patch. The side-effects and health risks for the contraceptive patch are also thought to the same as for combined oral contraceptive pills (with the addition of irritation or discoloration of the skin at the patch site). However, users of the patch are exposed to about 60% more estrogen than is found in typical birth control pills, therefore side-effects (and risks) may be increased. The most common side-effects reported during clinical trials were breast discomfort, headache, application site reaction, nausea, upper respiratory infection, menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, nausea and/or vomiting, and mood swings. This can be alarming, since many of these side effects, like nausea, are also pregnancy symptoms. You should get a pregnancy test to put your concerns at ease. If you are pregnant, you should stop using the patch. Best of luck, Dr. Williams